Last night was a fitting end to a very up and down weekend. The weekend had some really great times and some really rough ones that can pretty much be attributed to my hardheadedness and lack of willingness to take responsibility for me. As I sat there at the Bend Studio last night listening intently to Bill Mallonee play songs and tell stories, I thought much more clearly than I have been in a couple of weeks.
I've certainly mentioned here before about my connection with Bill's music. I've seen him perform and listened to his music through every season of my life in the past 8 years. I was a little unsure going into the night that I would connect to the music at all. I have gone through a lot since the last time I saw him, and he has gone through a lot too. It would be safe to say that the connection I felt to the music last night was deeper and more profound than ever. The lyrics weren't just clever and insightful, they were so many of the words I was trying to get together in several conversations over the course of the weekend.
The crowd was small, but perfect for the small room. Doug Burr started out with a great set that impressed me even more than the previous times I have seen him. I'm very excited about his new album that is coming soon, but that wasn't the reason I was there. Bill and Muriah took the stage a few minutes later and launched into Solar System off of Audible Sigh. Another song I've heard a million times hitting me a completely new way. The night progressed and song after song hit me. Story after story had me thinking. I won't go song by song and tell you what hit me and how, but the night went by very quickly. Some words felt like punches and some of them were extremely comforting. The words spoke a lot of truth that I needed to hear and think about. I was so glad I went in spite of thinking that I was setting myself up for another lonely night.
The metaphor of a train is used a lot in the music of Bill Mallonee and Americana in general. As he put it so well last night, it is because it works so perfectly to illustrate a journey of life. A train is a lot of something heading somewhere. Tons and tons of things from all over that are together as one mass headed for a destination. Most anywhere you live, when you see a train, it is somewhere past where it started, but it has not reached its final destination. I've got a long way to go.
"now look if you're gonna come around here
and say those sort of things
you gotta take a few on the chin
you talking about love and all that stuff
you better bring your thickest skin
sometimes you can't please everyone
sometimes you can't please anyone at all
you sew your heart onto your sleeve
and wait for the ax to fall"
Skin - Bill Mallonee
Monday, July 23, 2007
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Cash
"Hey, I'm not the smartest guy in the world, but I'm certainly not the dumbest. I mean, I've read books like "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" and "Love in the Time of Cholera", and I think I've understood them. They're about girls, right? Just kidding. But I have to say my all-time favorite book is Johnny Cash's autobiography "Cash" by Johnny Cash."
Rob Gordon - High Fidelity
There aren't too many books I have read twice. I like to read, but usually even my favorite books sit on the shelf after I finish them. For some reason, a couple of weeks ago, I decided to pick up one I had read before and start reading it again. It has been timely reading for me. Back in college, I picked up a copy of Cash when I going through my Johnny Cash phase. I call it a phase, but really it was just the time when I got American IV and the subsequently bought the rest of the American series and a greatest hits album or two.
I didn't know much about Johnny Cash other than that he was an old country singer that had seen a pretty big resurgence in popularity after recording a bunch of modern songs. I had heard the popular songs, and I knew he was a big character, but I pretty much lumped all old country together as my Dad's music. Other than an old Hank Williams tape I pilfered from him, I didn't really give it much of a chance. With the first chapter of Cash, I knew that I had been missing out. At the end of the first chapter, he lays out the things he is thankful for. Those few pages had me in tears not to mention convinced that I needed to know much more about the man.
I read through the rest of the book enjoying the anecdotes with the mix of bravado and humbleness that it was written with. There are stories that give you small peaks into the lives of so many other interesting characters. Roy Orbison, Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis....the list goes on. Themes of love for family, pain, and redemption flow through the whole thing. I have always enjoyed autobiographies, but it would be hard for me to name one that has meant more to me. I'm just about through my second reading. Once I'm done, it will probably go back on my shelf for a couple of years, but I'm sure I'll make it back around to reading it again.
On another topic, for any friends in Dallas.....(an oddsmaker would probably put the over/under of people in Dallas that actually read this at 3 though I'd probably still pick the under if I had to bet.) On July 22nd, Bill Mallonee will be playing at the Bend Studio with Doug Burr opening. I'm certainly going to be there, and I'd love to have some other folks go with me. It should be well worth the cash. Let me know if you are interested in going.
Playlist:
Nada Surf - The Weight is a Gift
Pas/Cal - Dear Sir
Mogwai - Happy Songs for Happy People
The Twilight Sad - The Twilight Sad
Hem - Funnel Cloud
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Too Rye Ay
Sleeping at Last - Keep No Score
Castanets - First Light's Freeze
A Northern Chorus - The Millions Too Many
16 Horsepower - Secret South
Rob Gordon - High Fidelity
There aren't too many books I have read twice. I like to read, but usually even my favorite books sit on the shelf after I finish them. For some reason, a couple of weeks ago, I decided to pick up one I had read before and start reading it again. It has been timely reading for me. Back in college, I picked up a copy of Cash when I going through my Johnny Cash phase. I call it a phase, but really it was just the time when I got American IV and the subsequently bought the rest of the American series and a greatest hits album or two.
I didn't know much about Johnny Cash other than that he was an old country singer that had seen a pretty big resurgence in popularity after recording a bunch of modern songs. I had heard the popular songs, and I knew he was a big character, but I pretty much lumped all old country together as my Dad's music. Other than an old Hank Williams tape I pilfered from him, I didn't really give it much of a chance. With the first chapter of Cash, I knew that I had been missing out. At the end of the first chapter, he lays out the things he is thankful for. Those few pages had me in tears not to mention convinced that I needed to know much more about the man.
I read through the rest of the book enjoying the anecdotes with the mix of bravado and humbleness that it was written with. There are stories that give you small peaks into the lives of so many other interesting characters. Roy Orbison, Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis....the list goes on. Themes of love for family, pain, and redemption flow through the whole thing. I have always enjoyed autobiographies, but it would be hard for me to name one that has meant more to me. I'm just about through my second reading. Once I'm done, it will probably go back on my shelf for a couple of years, but I'm sure I'll make it back around to reading it again.
On another topic, for any friends in Dallas.....(an oddsmaker would probably put the over/under of people in Dallas that actually read this at 3 though I'd probably still pick the under if I had to bet.) On July 22nd, Bill Mallonee will be playing at the Bend Studio with Doug Burr opening. I'm certainly going to be there, and I'd love to have some other folks go with me. It should be well worth the cash. Let me know if you are interested in going.
Playlist:
Nada Surf - The Weight is a Gift
Pas/Cal - Dear Sir
Mogwai - Happy Songs for Happy People
The Twilight Sad - The Twilight Sad
Hem - Funnel Cloud
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Too Rye Ay
Sleeping at Last - Keep No Score
Castanets - First Light's Freeze
A Northern Chorus - The Millions Too Many
16 Horsepower - Secret South
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Almost Oklahoma
Today has just been one of those days. It started off stressful and just kept getting worse. Nothing seemed to help and the pressure kept mounting. I finally decided to just take a drive late this evening. My road of choice was 75 going north. It proved to be a nice night drive. A straight shot heading towards Oklahoma with not too many cars around.
On the drive, I had no other objective than to decompress. I didn't want to think about work or houses or anything at all. I just wanted to drive. These days, it seems my hardheaded nature doesn't listen to much. I didn't want to call anyone to talk. I didn't want to seek comfort. I just wanted to forget for a bit.
As I blasted some music and the AC while driving towards nothing, I did get to thinking about some things. I came to my above conclusion about not listening much. I remembered why I am such a music nut. It is the one thing that seems to finally get to me when I am not listening to God or anyone else. It is my soft spot, and God uses it time and time again to get through my thick skull.
Thank God for Gary Murray, Explosions in the Sky, Justin Rosolino, The Weepies, Warren Zevon, and Bill Mallonee. They were used by Him to help me through a tough night when I didn't want to do what I know is best.
On the drive, I had no other objective than to decompress. I didn't want to think about work or houses or anything at all. I just wanted to drive. These days, it seems my hardheaded nature doesn't listen to much. I didn't want to call anyone to talk. I didn't want to seek comfort. I just wanted to forget for a bit.
As I blasted some music and the AC while driving towards nothing, I did get to thinking about some things. I came to my above conclusion about not listening much. I remembered why I am such a music nut. It is the one thing that seems to finally get to me when I am not listening to God or anyone else. It is my soft spot, and God uses it time and time again to get through my thick skull.
Thank God for Gary Murray, Explosions in the Sky, Justin Rosolino, The Weepies, Warren Zevon, and Bill Mallonee. They were used by Him to help me through a tough night when I didn't want to do what I know is best.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)